Still No Development Director as Unemployment Rises

Strickland administration steals from blind, loses 255,000 jobs in one year

(Columbus) - New jobless numbers released today show Ohio's unemployment rate continues to climb as the Strickland administration enters its seventh month without a full-time economic development director.

"Gov. Strickland clearly doesn't consider job creation a priority," said Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine.  "It's been six months since Lee Fisher stepped down as development director, and the governor has yet to name a permanent replacement.  The best job in Ohio right now belongs to the lieutenant governor, who apparently does nothing but accept a state-funded salary to campaign for another office."

The Strickland administration has lost nearly 255,000 jobs since July of 2008, as major employers lay off thousands, close facilities or relocate to other states.  NCR, one of the Dayton region's largest employers, announced in June that the company would move its corporate headquarters to Georgia.  DHL, one of Southwest Ohio's largest employers, announced in April its headquarters would move to Northern Kentucky.

The governor is also under fire today for mismanaging Ohio's finances.  Strickland admits he had no idea his staff attempted to balance the state budget using $2.7 million in funds donated by taxpayers for blindness prevention and organ donation.

"The Strickland-Fisher administration has checked out," said DeWine.  "It's no wonder Ohio's economy is spiralling out of control when the guy responsible for turning it around has no idea what's going on."

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner (D) says Strickland-Fisher jobs record "not going to play well for Democrats."

"As one of my supporters in Cleveland suggested, by the time we get to 2010, the governor will be held by the people of Ohio squarely responsible for the economy - deservedly or not," she told me last week. "If you have on the top of the ballot the person responsible for Ohio's economy [Strickland] and the one responsible for providing jobs for Ohio [Fisher, in his former role as development director], that's not going to play well for Democrats."  (Brent Larkin, The Plain Dealer, 8/21/09)